The leaf area index (LAI) is defined as the one-side leaf area per unit ground area, and is probably the most widely used index to characterize grapevine vigor. However, LAI varies spatially within vineyard plots. Mapping and quantifying this variability is very important for improving management decisions and agricultural practices. In this study, a mobile terrestrial laser scanner (MTLS) was ...

The aim of this research was to implement a methodology through the generation of a supervised classifier based on the Mahalanobis distance to characterize the grapevine canopy and assess leaf area and yield using RGB images. The method automatically processes sets of images, and calculates the areas (number of pixels) corresponding to seven different classes (Grapes, Wood, Background, and four...

The potential for directional optical and thermal imagery is very large. Field measurements have been performed with a goniometer on which thermal instruments were attached. In order to reduce dynamical effects the goniometer was adjusted to run in automated mode, for zenith and azimuthal direction. Directional measurements were performed over various crops with increasing heterogeneity. The im...

Grapevine leafroll disease (GLD) is considered to be one of the most economically destructive viral diseases of grapevines worldwide, resulting in reduced vine vigor, yield reductions, and poor fruit quality. Five pathogens (grapevine leafroll-associated viruses) are recognized as causal agents of this disease, of which Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3) is the most common. Althoug...

Gaining knowledge on weather patterns, trends and the influence of their extremes on various crop production yields and quality continues to be a quest by scientists, agriculturists, and managers. Precise and timely information aids decision-making, which is widely accepted as intrinsically necessary for increased production and improved quality. Studies in this research domain, especially thos...

Bioassays were conducted to compare the residual toxicity and leaf protection activity of conventional broad-spectrum and reduced-risk insecticides against the rose chafer, Macrodactylus subspinosus. Insecticides were applied to a Vitis labrusca (F.) vineyard and residues were aged for 1, 3 or 7 days before leaves were collected and exposed to beetles in no-choice tests. Azinphosmethyl caused r...

In line with precision viticulture, in recent years new methods of vineyard management have been introduced, so as to optimize vine cultivation and production wine the highest quality. Following on methodologies developed for mapping other crop parameters, there is currently a growing research effort discrimination varieties, this information useful vineyard-scale management, local regional inv...

The present study illustrates an operational approach estimating individual and aggregate vineyards’ canopy volume estimation through three years Tree-Row-Volume (TRV) measurements remotely sensed imagery acquired with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Red-Green-Blue (RGB) digital camera, processed MATLAB scripts, validated ArcGIS tools. TRV methodology was applied by sampling a different number of...